Starting mechanism for automobiles.



C. E. WILSON. MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

STARTING APPLICAHON HLED MN- 5. 1915. 1,215,453. Patented Feb.13,1917.

INVENTOR Charles E. Wf/son.

WITN ssss; j BY 3 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. WILSON, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 5, 1915. Serial No. 587.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Starting Mechanism forAutomobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to starting mechanisms for automobiles, and particularly to means for controlling the-operative connection of starting motors to the shafts of internal-combustion engines.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple arrangement whereby a starting motor may be automatically connected to, and disconnected from, the shaft of an internal-combustion engine.

My invention comprises the combination of a motor having a longitudinally shiftable armature with ascrew threaded shaft which operates to shift a pinion into and out of mesh with a coacting gear wheel, according as the motor constitutes the driving or the driven member.

Motors having normally-displaced armatures for controlling the connections above described have heretofore been employed, but it has been necessary, in such constructions, to employ complicated switching mechanisms and resistors to prevent rotation of the armatures until the coacting gear wheels are placed in mesh. This arrangement is necessary because, in the displaced position of the armature, the torque is sufficiently high to rotate the armature at a comparatively high rate of speed before the gear wheels are in operative position.

Starting mechanisms embodying screwthreaded shafts for shifting the pinion into and out of mesh with the usual fiy-wheel gear possesses the disadvantage of shifting the pinion toward the fly wheel with great force. It is necessary to provide a resilient connection between the shaft and the pinion because of the impact with which they are brought together and their rigid relation which prevents any relative movement in case the teeth do not register properly.

According to the present invention, the pinion on the motor shaft is shifted longitudinally both by the movement of the displaced armature as it is returned to its central position and by the action of the screwthreaded shaft as it rotates relatively to the pinion. By means of this construction, the

pinion is shifted through the greater part of scribed in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of a portion of an engine fly wheel with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of circuits and apparatus embodying my invention.

A fly wheel 1', only a portion of which is shown, and which may be operatively connected to the shaft of an internal combustion engine, is provided with gear teeth 2. An electric motor 3 has an armature 4.- which is arranged for longitudinal movement .in bearings 5. A spring 6, which is interposed between one end of the armature shaft 7 and a collar member 8 that is rotatably mounted in alinement therewith, tends to maintain the armature in a displaced position relatively to the field magnet frame 3. The commutator cylinder 9 is'of such length that it is always in engagement with coacting brushes 10 that are secured to the motor frame.

The opposite end of the armature shaft 7 comprises a screw-threaded portion 11 upon which is mounted a pinion 12 having-corresponding screw threads. The armature shaft 7 is further provided with a collar member 13 at the inner end of the screwthreaded portion and a buffer spring 14 that is secured to the collar member 13 for receivin the impact of the pinion 12 as it is shifte longitudinally into mesh with the gear teeth 2.

To start the motor, a push button switch 15, which may be located at any suitable point within convenient reach of the operator, is actuated to complete a circuit comprising the coil 16 of a relay switch 17 and a storage battery 18. The switch 17 then closes the motor circuit which comprises the series field winding 19- and the armature winding 20. The field-magnet poles are energited to exert a strong magnetic pull upon I j with the shaft 7. The pinion is accordingly shif ed longitudinally oi the shaft into engagement with the gear teeth of the dywheel. it the coacting gear teeth do not register properly, the pinion 12 may rotate temporarily with the shaft 7 in order they may assume their proper relative positions. The motor then operates to cranlr the engine through the connections above descriloed.

When the engine starts under its own power, the pinion l2 will he rotated by the wheel 1 at a higher rate of speed than it is driven by the motor. The pinion is thus caused to overrun the shaft T and is shifted to the right oy the screw threads act,

until it is out et engagement with the gear teeth 2 to disconnect the motor from the engine.

The operator may release the push hut ton 15 at any time the engine has started. lit the operator tails to open the motor circuit at the proper time, no harm can result even it the scew-threads tail to i The increasing counter-electromotive force of the motor causes a corresponding decrease in the current traversing the motor circuit. The spring 6 operates, when the longitudinal pull has fallen to a predetermined value, to return the armature to its illustrated position. This action may occur loeiore the pinion has been shifted by the screw threads. Thus, there are provided two independent means for automatically shittingthe pinion 12 out of mesh with the fly wheel gear.

I claim as my invention: l. in a starting mechanism, the combination with a pair of coacting gear wheels, and a screw-threaded shaft for supporting one of said gear wheels, or" means for simultaneously rotating said shaft and shitting it longitudinally.

2. Th a starting mechanism, the combinanaianaa tion with. a pair oi coacting gear wheels, and a screw-threaded shaltt for supporting one oi said gear wheels, of electro-responsive means tor simultaneously rotating said shaft and shitting it longitudinally.

3. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a pair of coacting gear wheels, and a screw-threaded shaft tor supporting one of said gear wheels, of a motor for simultaneously rotating said shaft and shifting it longitudinally.

l. in a starting mechanism, the combination with a pair of coacting gear wheels, of means tor shitting one of said gear wheels, into and out of mesh with-the other, said means comprising a screw-threaded shaft and means for shitting the shaft longitudinally and rotating it relatively to said pinion.

5. ln a starting mechanism, the combination with a pair oi coacting gear wheels, oi: means for shitting one of said gear wheels into and out of mesh with the other, said means comprising a screw-threaded shait and electro-responsive means "for shitting the longitudinally and rotating it relatively to said pinion.

it. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a pairol coasting gear wheels, oi means for shifting one oi said gear wheels into and out of mesh with the'other, said means comprising a screw-threaded shaft, and a motor for shifting the shaft longi tudinally and rotating it relatively to said pinion.

'Ei. Tn a mechanism, the combination with a pair of coacting gear wheels, of means for shifting one oi said gear wheels into and out of mesh with other, said means comprisii'ig a screw-threaded shaft and a mot armature for shifting the shaft longitudinally rotating relatively to said pinion.

having a normally displaced E3. "in starting mechanism, the combination wi means for controlling their relative positions, said means comprising an electric motor having a longitudinally shiftable' armature, and an armature shaft having a portion inclined relatively to its axis for coacting with one of said gear wheels.

lln testimony whereof, l have hereunto suhscriloed my name this 23rd day of Dec,

lillt.

CHARLES E. WTLSQN.

Witnesses:

Barman D, linnnnn, B. h. HINES.

a pair of coacting gearwheels, of l 

